The Otherworld takes shape in this collection of twelve stories told on a rich, fairytale tapestry of swords, sorcery, romance, dreams, visions and verse Ancient gardens, lost temples, cosmic alignments, immortal predators, assassins, shapeshifters, warriors and maidens will transport you to realms where the rules are different, nothing is as it seems and the heart keepsThe Otherworld takes shape in this collection of twelve stories told on a rich, fairytale tapestry of swords, sorcery, romance, dreams, visions and verse Ancient gardens, lost temples, cosmic alignments, immortal predators, assassins, shapeshifters, warriors and maidens will transport you to realms where the rules are different, nothing is as it seems and the heart keeps the balance of ages.Some of these stories inspired my novels others were inspired by them and some take place in the same worlds Many of these stories have been published in fantasy scifi magazines.Click on the following stories for illustrations and excerpts.Earth Blood The earth keeps secrets A warrior discovers ancient power in his veins when he s plunged into the political corruption of a war devised to hide the truth of his mother s death.The Om Tree Trees know things A tree planted by a god at the dawn of a forest and raised in close proximity to an energy well beneath a wizards citadel knows a great many things In this story, a wizard assassin loses what is most dear to him and thereby learns the true nature of his art.Pattern Sense It all started with a mouse A knitter discovers the strengths and pitfalls of an ancient power through the love of a warrior.The War God Sleeps When a lush, fertile land is seized by drought, a lonely hermit s son ventures deep into the hills in search of water and there awakes a beautiful, yet terrible god whom the world has learned to live without.The Fifth Verse An ancient immortal entity defies the rules of her kind by falling in love with a mortal warrior, an indiscretion that leaves her grieving, pregnant and dependent on the help of a wizard whose army was responsible for the death of her beloved.Deathseer Under the influence of a mysterious observatory, the commander of a fearsome army is trapped in a conflict that eventually costs him his honor and the life of his brother, and drives him to accept an inborn magical ability that changes his destiny.The Trouble with Tansy An orphaned girl on the threshold of womanhood inherits a splendid, mysterious garden from three generations of wisewomen When a roguish wizard attempts to impress her by disrupting the seasons, she must turn to the old powers for help.Marked The mother of a fey child learns the pitfalls of mingling with immortals when her boy is taken by a ferocious winged monster at the request of the god who fathered him.Eating Crow A masterful, wayward shapeshiftress angers a wizard who curses her by summoning a diabolical immortal hunter that puts her near death and forces her to seek the wizard s cat, a gentle, mystical creature that alone can heal her wounds.The Bridge A visionary who spent her life preparing for a planetary alignment that will materialize a beautiful nature spirit only she can perceive, descends into her blackest fears when she is abandoned to a war for which she is indirectly responsible.The Origin A woodsman discovers that he is a god who created everything around him to know the love of a woman whose mortality drives him to the brink of annihilation.Water Dark In the calm deep waters of the mind, the wolf waits This novella is a tale of desire and deception told on a fairy tale landscape of arcane texts, herbal lore, visions and disasters at the hands of the powerful.

1 thought on “Wizards, Woods and Gods”

Originally posted at: lasrsff/2012/08/wLet’s take a walk in the woods. When you come back out, you won’t be the same person you were when you went in.This book contains eight short stories about the wild side, a world full of magical and mythical beings, and the odd creatures that live in the dark shady places. All the stories are interesting and fun to read. This author gives his stories depth and gave this reader the feeling I was actually in that time and place. I had two that really appe [...]

This book is a collection of short fantasy stories. Each one is set in a fantasy setting, in a world full of magical elements and mythical beings.They are told in a language that is richly descriptive and in my opinion, it helped to make the reader get into the atmosphere of the stories.I loved most of them, but if I must choose my favourite ones, they were: The Om Tree, The Trouble with Tansy, and The Fifth Verse.I received a free digital copy in exchange for my review.

This is one crafty, creative lady. Her command of the English language, her knowledge of mythology and folklore and story telling abilities are almost intimidating. I enjoyed reading one of these before bed every night. I found them comforting. I've got to point out that she is a complete artist and her blog is worth a visit ftmckinstry. There is a lot of mystical, ancient atmosphere going on and her use of language reflects that. She writes as though she is from a different time. This is not so [...]

Eight stories from the author of the Chronicles of Ealiron fantasy series explore a common theme of spiritual and psychological awakening. The backdrop of fantasy settings, magic and wizardry form metaphors for how people make deep connections and accept life-altering realizations, often through great pain and confusion. Main characters, initially unaware of their larger purpose in the world, hunt for this integration, but often they begin as if seeking rules or procedures, something like wizard [...]

Won this book through a giveaway.I'm going to start off by saying this wasn't really my type of book. That being said, the series of short stories that make up this book are filled with poetic imaging and storytelling that breathes more than just life into the stories that elevated the telling into the fantasy realm even without subject matter that also took place there. Normally I stick to more action based books, but even without a whole lot of action taking place in these pages, the author s [...]

This book is somewhat different than I am used to reading but I thoroughly enjoyed it, none the less. a collection of eight short stories that run the gamut from humour, fantasy all the way to science fiction. I found it a very easy read and would highly recommend it!!